Dark Blue
by MereBelle
Summary: Kuroko and Momoi, his best friend, spend all of their summers at the public pool across town. This summer, Aomine, a public pool lifeguard, and Kuroko finally notice each other at a party that goes wrong for both of them. But will they be able to fix thing? Kuroko x Aomine (Rated M for suggestive content and future sexual content) I do not own the anime or the song "Dark Blue."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This Fanfic was inspired by the song 'Dark Blue,' by Jack's Mannequin. It's a really beautiful song, and if you want to take the time to listen to it, then you can find a bunch of versions on the Tube of You. I prefer the cover by Alex Goot, but you can go ahead and make your own decisions.

Aomine meets Kuroko for the first time. None of the Gen of Miracles plays basketball competitively.

**Hey, everyone. The story might start out a bit slow, but I wanted it to work like a real relationship would; the couple takes the time to get to know each other before getting physical. So, I hope that you can appreciate that because I promise the two will join each other in that capacity eventually.**

_Chapter One:_

_How did I get myself dragged into this again?_ Kuroko asked himself as, once again, Momoi pulled him toward the public pool. It was a sweltering 86 degrees on a July Saturday morning, and it was only going to get hotter. The public pool was clear across town but worth the walk if one arrived early enough to beat the crowds to the locker rooms, which is why Momoi had texted him at 8 a.m. until he responded:

**Momoi: **Heyy, Kuroko!

….

**Momoi: **Wanna go to the pool?

**Momoi: **Please?

**Momoi:** Hey, you awake?

**Momoi:** Wake up, Kuroko! We're going to the pool.

**Momoi:** . . . If you don't answer soon I'll just find a way into your house again . . .

**Kuroko:** Alright, what do you want.

**Momoi:** Kuro-chan! You promised we'd go to the pool

And she went on and on and on until Kuroko had finally given in. The struggle was real; anyone who knew Momoi would know that Kuroko tolerated her crush on him. It wasn't that Kuroko didn't want to go to the pool; more like he didn't want his cozy butt dragged out of bed at 8 am to trek across town with a chattery morning person. Even his aggravation at being woken too early on a Saturday was kept hidden behind his almost expressionless face. Kuroko never showed how he was truly feeling. So he packed his swimwear, SPF 55, sunglasses, towels, and some snacks in a bag after he had gotten dressed and waited for Momoi to arrive at house so they could walk to the pool together.

As expected, Momoi chattered the entire way there, content to listen to Kuroko politely laugh or comment a couple of times to keep the conversation a little less than one-sided. Kuroko prefer silence, but Momoi's talking certainly had made the half-hour walk feel faster as they arrived just after the pool opened. Flashing their summer passes at the teen working the front desk, they each went to their respective locker rooms to change. Kuroko arrived on the other side in his dark blue swimming trunks already wet because of the mandatory showering before entering the pool area. People were flocking toward the deck chairs clustered in groups around the shallows; children were pulling away from their parents, toddling off like so many penguins because of various floating devices on their bodies, and the lifeguards—tall, tanned, and imposing—were already stationed in their respective places. Momoi practically strutted out of the women's locker room, brushing her flowing pink hair back behind her shoulders and flashing large, happy eyes at anyone who walked past. Rocking a barely-there biking, she was scanning the thickening crowd for Kuroko who waved her down by a couple of deck chairs he had claimed for them.

"Kuroko," Momoi shouted as she threw her arms around him, "Where were you? I was looking everywhere!" She sounded so anxious already, and her eyes were getting all shimmery as her mouth quivered. _It's so easy to upset her_ Kuroko thought as he looked at her expressionless.

"I was waiting for you to get out of the locker room. I decided to go put my stuff down. It seemed like a good idea to get us chairs before everyone else grabbed them. I'm sorry if I upset you—"

"Kuro-chan!" she yelled, effectively cutting him off, "thanks for being so thoughtful! Now let's go get in line for the water slide." She tugged on his arm urgently, like the slide was going to get up and leave before they could go down it a couple of times. Making their way up a set of stairs, they waited in line for their turn as a bored lifeguard sent kids down the dark tunnel one at a time.

The sun was hot and the water cold as Kuroko took what soon felt like his fiftieth turn going down the slide—truly disappearing and reappearing seemingly out of nothingness—until he arrived tumbling into a pool of water five feet deep. Surging upward out of the water sputtering, Kuroko knew he didn't want to go down that slide again. But he also knew that it would be rude to simply wander off, so he waited for Momoi to jump out of the water giggling (and for the lifeguard to quit ogling her barely contained breasts).

_Trying to tell her that I don't want to go down again is going to be difficult._ Momoi was happily chatter about how happy she was that Kuroko had decided to come with her to the pool when he interrupted and asked, "Do you want to, I don't know, just go and jump in the pool and swim?" She looked at him silently for a second—her eyes going impossibly large and round until Kuroko thought he had broken her—until she broke into a dazzling smile, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the edge of the deep end, dragging him in after she jumped. Once he resurfaced, they proceeded to splash around and play water tag. When Kuroko grew tired of being around noisy people, he decided that running from her would be the only way to get time alone. Suggesting a game of Marco Polo, he made her turn her back, and then he swam for it. There were now so many people in the pool that it would be near impossible to find him.

Sighing with relief as he sat in the shallow end of the pool, he watched one of those giant mushrooms with water falling around all its sides until he laid back on his hands and smiled.

_Now that is a sight that I haven't seen all summer_ Aomine thought as he stared at the ice-blue haired boy through dark Aviator shades. Aomine had been working his summers at the pool for three years now, and he was always curious as to how long it would take Kuroko to run away from his childhood friend. (If anyone knew how tenacious Momoi could be it was Dai-chan). But in all his three years working here, he had never seen this boy smile after escaping. That small, secret smile on that pale face was so intriguing that Aomine almost failed to notice one of the kids struggling in the water. Blowing his whistle quickly to get the other kids away from the poor kid, Aomine practically fell off his super tall chair to get to the kid in time.

At the sound of the piercing whistle, Kuroko shrieked and slipped off his hands until he was flat on his back and seeing stars. He regained straight-vision just in time to see a tall, tanned lifeguard scooping up a child and setting him on the deck. _That is one hot lifeguard _Kuroko thought, letting his mouth hang open slightly.

His eyes skimmed over what looked like rock hard abs as the lifeguard left the child in his parent's care and turned back toward the pool. _Tan and gorgeous_, Kuroko was practically drooling over this guy. _I wish he would take off his shades so I could see his eyes. Oh, well. There's plenty of him to look at. _Kuroko's thoughts verged on the dirty as he slowly moved his eyes over that lifeguard's body. He studied him so long that he could see pool water beading down his body, leaving trails that Kuroko wished he was making with his tong—

"Gotcha!" Momoi yelled as she threw herself down on Kuroko with a tangle of long limbs and boobs pressing into his chest as he shrieked.

Aomine, startled, looked down at the two tangled in the shallow end and started walking over to separate the two when Kuroko gently pushed her off. "You scared me, Momoi," Kuroko whispered, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Kuro-chan," she murmured appropriately abashed, but she still looked a little please to have finally found him.

Before Aomine could make it all the way over to the pair, Kuroko hurriedly stood and pulled Momoi up by an arm saying, "We should go. I'm getting kinda sick of swimming." She protested as he pushed her out of the water and toward the women's locker room as he rushed into the men's changing room.

_What was that about?_ Aomine asked himself as he watched the attractive boy pull Momoi away from the pool. _ Oh, well; I know I'll see him tomorrow_.

Kuroko refused to talk to Momoi the entire way home and was about to turn off his cell phone when Momoi texted him:

Momoi: Hey… I don't know what happened, but there's supposed to be a killer party later at some guy's place. One of the lifegaurds told me about it while I was looking for you, and he said I could bring you… If you want to go.

Kuroko started at his phone. _Maybe I should go. I need to think about something other than tan skin and a hard bod wearing nothing but a speedo . . . _He sent her a quick "Sure" and went to go shower and then sleep in his bed. If Kuroko was going to party tonight, he was going to party hard and make sure that everybody, especially someone hot, would notice his presence.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

_Low-rise, faded blue jeans? Yep. Black tank with plaid button down open all the way? Definitely. Should I wear tennies or sandals? . . . I'm thinking sandals. And yep, definitely sandals. Bag full of necessaries—swimming trunks, etc.? Yes. I think I'm all set. Now where is Mo—_

Rapid knocking on the door startled Kuroko, interrupting his soliloquy. He walked out of his room to the door of his apartment and let in Momoi. She was, of course, stunning, wearing white skinny jeans and a ruffled halter top, strappy gold sandals on her feet, and a large blue flower was keeping some of her hair from falling in her face. Kuroko took all of this in before being enveloped in another of Momoi's tight hugs that lasted a little too long. Gently pushing her back, he smiled at her and then tugged at her arm as he walked out the door.

_Why am I here at this party? I could be asleep or even looking through one of my magazines and getting off. Either way, I would be having more fun than I am standing here drinking a cup of warm beer._ Aomine took a sip of said beer. _Ugh! It's not even good beer. Probably Bud Light or whatever; it tastes light as fuck._ Despite his high standards, Aomine chugged down the rest of his drink and went to look for another. If he was going to suffer through this than he would at least get a buzz. Standing next to the speakers, pouring himself another cup of crappy beer from the kegger, he didn't notice when Kuroko walked in.

The worst top 40 was blaring from someone's iPod. The lights were definitely dim. People were grinding up against each other and were steadily getting drunk. This was definitely a party, and Kuroko felt like being noticed by someone. Pulling Momoi out into the middle of the floor, Kuroko began to dance, bumping his hips against hers and twirling her about as she giggled. _Hopefully she doesn't get the wrong idea._

Momoi's POV

_Huh? Kuroko never would do something like this. I wonder what's up with him… He's not one to "bump and grind," and even though I really really like him I know that it's not because he wants me. Well, if he wants to play it this way, then I'll be the unofficial "Wing-Woman" this evening._

I scan the room surreptitiously and let Kuroko think that I'm oblivious to his desire to be noticed by other people in the room. The person for my Kuroko would have to at least be a 10. At least. Nothing less than gorgeous and perfect would do for my Kuroko.

_Too tall._

_Too meh._

_Too skinny._

_Too handsy._

_Not enough smiling._

_Not enough pout_

_That one's drunk as fuck!_

_Etc. etc. etc. . .. Why is nobody here perfect for him? Well, looks like he might be going home alone, which is too bad because if his hips are telling me anything it's that he really hasn't been laid in such a long time._

(End of Momoi's POV)

She continued to let Kuroko grind against her, allowing him to use her as a show case for his considerable talents. Others were beginning to notice the young man with ice blue hair who happened to be throwing his body into the dancing like it was his only passion. Person after person just stared until all of a sudden the table with the iPod was bumped and the device went to shuffle. Kuroko stopped dancing abruptly as "Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin funneled through the speakers . . .

Aomine couldn't believe his luck. The guy he'd been staring at this morning was dropping it on the dance floor and seducing the crowd with his body. His eyes grew larger as he watched Kuroko roll his hips into that pink haired girl's ass as he moved his hands on her stomach and hips. Aomine didn't think this could get any hotter. Noticing his cup was, for the ninth or tenth time, devastatingly empty, he regretfully turned around to re-fill his cup. Since he had forgotten that he was leaning against the table with the keg and speakers, he jarred the entire table and had to choose between saving the music and saving the beer. In a split second decision he decided to save the keg and prayed that the speakers wouldn't crash into a million pieces. . .

I have (I have) you breathing down my neck (breathing down my neck)

I don't (don't know) what you could possibly expect under this condition so

Kuroko had heard this song before, and he breathed out a sigh of relief (because dancing was taking a toll on his stamina). He looked at Momoi, and she nodded in understanding; he was done dancing for the night, done pretending to be someone he wasn't. This music suited him better than that pop, club music playing before, and he decided to quit while he was ahead of himself and other people had lost interest. Looking for a place to sit now, he saw a familiar head of dark blue hair across the room.

I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)

Pick us up off the floor

What did you possibly expect under this condition

_Maybe he'll notice me?_

And Aomine did look at him. He had felt eyes on him and wasn't disappointed to see large light blue ones appraising him from across the room. Slightly startled, Aomine looked behind him to see if there was, quite possibly, someone else that the light haired boy could be looking at, but there was no one. When he turned back around, the guy was still staring and was moving through the crowd to get to him.

Kuroko couldn't breathe as he moved toward this gorgeous guy staring right back at him. _What if he doesn't like me? What if I say something stupid? What if I trip?_ His nervous thought lasted him all the way to where that dark-haired lifeguard was standing oh so casually, and when he finally stood before him all Kuroko could do was let out a breathy, "Hey." At this point, Aomine wished he wasn't drunk. The slight buzz in the back of his head had turned to a numb feeling, and the small part of his brain that was possibly still rational wished he could actually say something intelligent. However, all he did was open his mouth and say something that maybe resembled his name before he passed out at Kuroko's feet.

I'll wait (I'll wait) for the ambulance to come (ambulance to come)

Pick us up off the floor

What did you possibly expect under this condition . . .

Kuroko only sighed as Aomine crumpled to the floor.

Momoi, noticing this failed first meeting, rolled her eyes and calmly walked over, silently appraising Aomine's crumpled form. Well, at least he's a 10.

The two friends looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in agreement. Picking up Aomine together, they dragged him outside, called a cab, and took him back to Kuroko's place. Kuroko hadn't wanted the stranger to stay the night at his place, but Momoi had argued that it would be better because Momoi's female and wouldn't be comfortable with a random male in her apartment. (Which was a load of bull, but Kuroko didn't know that.).

So there he stood, looking down at that handsome lifeguard who lay unconscious on his sofa, and he didn't even know said lifegaurd's name. He just thought of the song that had been playing before this guy had fallen in front of him…

Slow down.. this night's a perfect shade of

Dark blue (dark blue)

Have you ever been alone in a crowded room when I'm here with you

I said the world could be burning down

Dark blue (dark blue)

Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you

I said the world could be burning 'til there's nothing but dark blue..

Just dark blue

…. _He really is handsome_ Kuroko thought to himself as he knelt down and tentatively brushed his fingers through those dark blue locks. The guy mumbled something incoherent and pushed into the fingers running through his hair. Kuroko smiled to himself as he thought: _Well, that song was kinda right. There is a lot of dark blue. Nothing but dark blue for me…_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Aomine woke up to the smell of sausage and eggs cooking, and he woke up in a place he didn't recognize. His pants, socks, shoes, and shirt were off, but his boxers were on, and a blanket was wrapped around him. The couch he was laying on was comfortable, but he had this ache in his bladder that told him if he didn't find the bathroom soon that he was going to be in a less than comfortable situation. Prowling down a long hallway, it didn't take him long to find the bathroom, and he shucked his boxers down quickly and stood there as he pissed into a toilet that was in a bathroom he had never seen before. He stood there, head looking upward, as he studied the room and though about where he could possibly be as he finished up and wiped himself.

"I'm glad to see you found the bathroom alright," a voice to his left said. Aomine let out a started yelp as he flushed. "Well, don't just stand there. You really should wash after such an activity," the light haired guy said, a teasing light in his blue eyes. Aomine only gaped at him, feeling awkward as he moved to wash his hands.

"I hope you like breakfast, because I made a lot." The guy had long since moved out of the door way and was calling after himself as moved down the hall and into the kitchen.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything," Aomine started to say as he came into the eating area, "but I can't remember if we—ugh—"

"You mean if we fucked last night." Kuroko said, quite amused by this situation.

"Yeah."

"Do you feel sore at all? Because that would answer that question. Besides, I'm not in the habit of letting drunk people take me." Aomine blushed at that less than subtle hint at the state of intoxication he was in last night. To be honest, that was actually the worst he'd been in a while; Couple shots of tequila, a body shot of vodka from some babe in the kitchen, and something like nine beers. Yeah . . . that's actually quite tame compared to what I used to do, which is really kinda pathetic. "So what happened that I ended up here? Thanks, by the way, for letting me crash at your place." His head felt like it was splitting in two, and his tongue felt really fuzzy. He kind of just wanted to sleep until his body got rid of everything that had made him feel this bad. I just might never drink again he inwardly groaned as he thought this.

"You're welcome. And you collapsed at my feet at the party. I really had no choice but to bring you to my apartment." Aomine's face fell at this point; he was really hoping that this good-looking stranger had taken him home by choice. "Could you tell me your name then? I would hate to think that I would leave without at least knowing who rescued me last night."

Kuroko blushed as he told him his name. "Kuroko Tetsyua . . . May I call you Tetsu?" And when Kuroko's blush deepened, Aomine quickly retracted his request and said, "It's okay! Kuroko is fine. I like Kuroko—"

"Tetsu is perfect," Kuroko mumbled and turned back to making their food (Thank goodness he hadn't had any food on the stove during all of this!). Aomine smiled broadly at Kuroko's back and took the time to admire Kuroko's form up close. _Too much clothing to imagine anything accurately, but I'm pretty sure that his back is well-muscled. Probably that same pure white as those lean arms. He looks like he could definitely put up a decent resistance if I was to push him up against those counters. I wonder what those back muscles would look like if I had him bent over this table with that cute little ass pushed up in the air and him—_

"Do you take your coffee with or without sugar?" Aomine shook his head as Kuroko broke through his shameless thoughts. Kuroko frowned a little, confused by such a noncommittal gesture. "So you do or don't want sugar?"

"Umm…." To be honest, all I want is a certain kind of your sugar. Wow. That got real cheesy real fast. What is it about this guy that makes me want to take him hard and fast one minute and then sweet and slow the next? I'm beginning to get soft… "I'll take my coffee with creamer and a couple sugars if you don't mind. And I'm Aomine, by the way."

"Well, not that this hasn't been fun, but I really should get going."

Kuroko looked disappointed, and Aomine was pleased that this guy was upset about his departure. "Do you have to go so soon?" The words were out before Kuroko could change them or take them back.

"Unfortunately I'm already late for a shift at the public pool, and I'm already going to have a hard time explaining why I'm late to my boss. If I could stay I would, but I like to think I'm their best lifeguard. I'd like to keep it that way. Besides, this hot bod doesn't stay tanned all by itself." Aomine was pulling up his shirt and gesturing at his abs in a show of cockiness, but he really just wanted to see that stupid little grin of Kuroko's before he had to leave. Sure enough, as soon as he mentioned being the best lifeguard Kuroko was smiling, but when he mentioned his "hot body," Kuroko, eyes full of longing, was looking at his perfect body in open admiration.

It was now difficult for Aomine to swallow, and he knew that he had to get out of there quickly if he was going to avoid doing anything they would both regret later. Scribbling down a number on a random piece of paper with a random pen he found on the table, Aomine quickly grabbed his stuff and left the apartment.

Kuroko was upset that he hadn't even gotten a goodbye. That is, until he looked at the paper:

(XXX-)XXX-XXXX That's my number, Tetsu. Text me so we can have a good time that isn't the result of me being drunk.

Laters,

Dark Blue

And Kuroko, now unable to breathe, picked up his phone, called Momoi, and told her to grab her bag full of swimming stuff because they were going to the pool.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyone. I don't like to take up space with a kind of personal commentary before I start. I just want to say that I know that the two are just starting to get together and it's chapter four. I know it's slow going, but it'll pick up soon. :)**

Chapter Four:

_God, I wish that it would just be whatever time it is that my replacement comes so I can go man the water slide. At least at that point there's a good chance that someone will either drown or need my help._ Normally Aomine didn't have such dark thoughts, but after cutting from Kuroko's apartment that abruptly that morning and then getting chewed out by the boss for being an hour late, Aomine was feeling moody. It was a slow day for the pool (for some reason Sundays are slow), and he wasn't in the mood to be at work when he could be with Kuroko.  
-

"Come on, Momoi! We're gonna get there late and then we'll be waiting forever!" Momoi couldn't see why Kuroko was so impatient to get to the pool. What was the point in rushing if they both knew that it would be a slow day? This wasn't there first Sunday at the public pool.

"What's your hurry, Kuro-chan? Some cute lifeguard working today, or what?" Momoi slyly looked over at Kuroko as her taunt hit home, causing a normally emotionless boy to blush bright red. "So it is a cute lifeguard! I guessed as much! Could it be the 10 we dragged home from the party last night? His head must definitely be killing him in this sun-" Kuroko frowned, he hadn't thought that Aomine might be in pain. "But then, he has those sexy shades that he always wears, so maybe it won't be so bad."

The two chattered away as they fast walked the normal route to the public pool. They guy at the desk waved them on in, and they both changed quickly, arriving on the other side in record time. Kuroko blinked slowly at the bright sunshine and the lack of people in front of him. Momoi headed off in the direction of the water slide, with Kuroko about to follow, when she turned around on him abruptly. "I think that, today, you should go spend some time alone. In the pool. Over there." She pointed toward the large, mostly empty pool which was where Aomine was currently stationed, and he was looking mighty bored. "Go pretend to drown or something. Just make sure I'm around when he does the mouth-to-mouth," she whispered playfully as she spun him around and pushed him in the pool.

Kuroko came up sputtering, screaming, "You asshole!" after a disappearing Momoi's back, her hair and hips swaying as she walked away laughing. At that expletive, the mothers in the pool area turned and glared at Kuroko as he tried valiantly to hide himself in the water. Aomine merely zoned in on Kuroko, recognizing his voice immediately. He stood up and walked around the pool to where Kuroko was floating on his own.

"Sir, if you don't watch what you say I'm going to have to ask you to leave this pool or move deeper in where there aren't as many kids." Outraged, Kuroko looked up and spluttered some sort of response about it being Momoi's fault before giving in and saying, "Yes, cute lifeguard." Aomine's heart about halted at that point and his eyebrows raised themselves about the edges of his Aviators. Kuroko merely blushed and quickly swam to the middle of the deep end where Aomine knew Kuroko was surely not touching the bottom of the pool. He only sighed as he walked back to his station and watched the entire pool, paying special attention to a certain light-blue haired guy floating all on his own in the deep end.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Kuroko didn't think he would ever get sick of seeing Aomine's tan body in a bright red Speedo. He had just the right mixture of a neutral expression hidden behind those sunglasses, and his posture and body were something Kuroko couldn't help admiring. Which is why he always watched Aomine from the deep end of the pool.

Day in and day out Aomine waited for Kuroko to come up to him and say something, maybe flirt a little. Hell, at the point he was almost hoping Kuroko would fake drowning so that he could rescue him, but that seemed a little too pathetic. Was it too pathetic? He honestly was tired of waiting, and he hated seeing Kuroko come to the pool with that pink-haired girl clinging to him. What did Kuroko see in that ditzy girl? It couldn't be her boobs because he noticed Kuroko never stared at her body like any other guy his age would. Well, any guy his age and who was straight as a jacket would, so maybe Kuroko swung for his team? Aomine could only hope as much. He was sick of watching Kuroko climb the ladder out of the pool, swimming trunks dripping and clinging to his cute ass and other secret places. It was becoming almost too embarrassing to wear his Speedo, the required swimsuit, to work. On the other hand, Aomine was also a little pissed off at Kuroko, who had his number and still hadn't given him a call or a text message. Dismayed that he had blown his one chance that Sunday morning a couple weeks ago, Aomine was giving up hope. _After all, there is a cute guy working here who I've noticed checking me out quite a bit… But he's not Tetsu._

This on again off again behavior happened for a whole other work week until Kuroko was approached by Aomine while on the job. "You know," Aomine said to him quietly but sounding quite upset, "I realize that it's a public pool, but if you never wanted to see me again you might have tried the other one here in town. It would have been easier on me that way." Kuroko just looked at him in shock as Aomine spoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Damn well you do! I told you to text/call me for another time. I even made it all cute and shit, and then you just blow me off for a couple of weeks but keep coming to My pool, swimming right in front of me, looking all cute but not saying anything to me ever. You know, Tetsu, you're a real tease." Kuroko looked up at him with big blue eyes.

". . . I didn't mean to make you upset. I just saw no point in calling if you were here every day and I could just go to the pool." They both looked at each other dumbstruck. And Aomine laughed so loud and long that he became unbalanced and fell into the pool. When he bobbed back up, everyone was staring at him as he became red-faced with embarrassment.

He looked at Kuroko as he got out of the water and quietly said, "I get off work in about 15 minutes. If you wait around, maybe we could go get some food together. I don't know, noodles or something like that. Maybe then you'd, I don't know, see something about me you actually like." Aomine was definitely nervous. He could feel the tightening in his abs as his stomach tightened and his heart crawled into his lungs, choking out what little air there might have resided in there as he waited for an answer.

"I already liked what I saw, Aomine. But yes, I'll wait around for you." Those big blue eyes were staring up at him, making what was a warm day infinitely hotter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

"Momoi, you go on ahead. I'll text you later after we get food. Aomine said something about noodles? I think we might be going to get Ramen or something." Kuroko wasn't too sure what was going to happen. He only knew that he wished this first date wasn't happening when he smelled of chlorine, water, and the cheap shampoo he had bought specifically for the public pool and public pool only. Sighing inwardly, he wished he had invested more money in the shampoo at this point. _Just because I was just in the public pool doesn't mean I have to smell like one._

"But, Kuro-chan," Momoi whined, "What if that 10 hurts you? I know he's cute and all, what with those tan muscles and his dark blue hair, but what if you don't get home? Will you promise to call when you get in your apartment? Just call? How about a text? Will you text me, please?" Honestly, Kuroko thought her concern to be endearing, but before he could answer Aomine came up behind him and peered over his head at Momoi. "I promise I'll make him text you if we go anywhere unexpected." That certainly earned him a look of approval from the best friend.

_Aomine: 1 Dog House: 0_

The look on Kuroko's face as Aomine pushed him into a verbal contract with Momoi to call and text her his whereabouts was a little overwhelming. Who knew that baby blue eyes could be so . . . Fiery. "Let's go get some noodles, Tetsu." Kuroko soon found himself pulled behind this dark blue haired giant while he waved goodbye a shocked, but pleased, Momoi.

_Noodles are delicious._ And Kuroko is just happy that he's not the one cooking and cleaning up tonight as he wondered over the amount of food Aomine ate; Kuroko hadn't even finished his own bowl! "Are you gonna finish that?" Aomine garbled out around a mouth full of buttered noodle. When Kuroko shook his head, his date scooped out the noodles into his own bowl and mixed them all together before continuing his feast. Kuroko could only sit back and watch in fascination. There was nothing but the sound of the mastication of noodles until Kuroko said, "Are you gonna say something? Cuz if you're not going to say something this is a lame first date."

And Aomine almost choked.

"Also, are you gonna take me anywhere? Because I've been waiting for you to say something for 2 weeks, and you only just said something today. So you've got a lot to make up for." Kuroko's face was expressionless, but his eyes were a gentle, teasing, blue.

"I've said nothing?!" Aomine was feeling a little upset now. "You were supposed to call me or text me at least so I could have your number! All you did was show up at the pool and ignore me. You swam out into the middle of the deep end like some loner and stared at me the entire time-" At this point, Aomine was seething. _2 weeks. 2 weeks he had waited for this guy to make the next move because he didn't want to freak him out or whatever and here they were (finally!), on a date, and the guy had the audacity to go off on him. Him! Well, he was not gonna take this._

"I was freaking waiting for 2 weeks, Tetsu. You were swimming there, and I couldn't do anything. I gave you my number, and you ignored me. What the fuck more did you want from me at that point? It's not like I could just leave my post while I was at work and come flirt with you unless you were drowning or something. What did you want?!" He wasn't yelling, mostly just whispering vehemently across the table at Kuroko, who was just sitting there quiet. He had never seen someone so upset by lack of his attention. Sure, Momoi would cry sometimes, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Aomine was a whole other animal, and it kind of freaked him out a bit. "I'm sorry, Aomine. I just wasn't sure if you were joking or not. It's not so easy to tell if someone's, well, into me. I'm the quiet one no one usually notices." He was feeling very reserved now, his expressionless giving nothing away until you looked into his large baby blues which were shimmering with angst and sadness. _How could I fucked this whole situation up this badly? If I had just called him, what would we be doing by now? Holding hands? First kiss? Movies and dinners? . . . Sleepovers?_

Aomine sat back kind of surprised. He hadn't meant to make Kuroko upset. In fact, he hadn't meant to do this at all; this whole date was not going as he expected. He had hoped to take Kuroko out for noodles, make him smile a little (even laugh!), and then take him back to his apartment. Hopefully, if things went well, Aomine was going to be allowed to hold Kuroko's hand, but that was only after Aomine had plucked up the courage to actually ask him out, sweetly, politely. _How did I fuck this whole date up this badly?_

"You know . . . You're the only person I've really noticed at the pool from day one, Tetsu." Kuroko looked up shocked; no one ever noticed him. In a crowd as big as the public pool's got, he was amazed that Aomine would focus on him. "And you're the only one I've ever really wanted to notice either." Aomine was blushing as he told the cute blue-haired guy about his crush on him, and Kuroko just sat there looking at him; eyes getting larger as Aomine went on: "I just… you looked so cute flipping your wet blue hair out of your eyes. And you were always so pale, so different from my own skin. And all I wanted to do was touch it and pull you closer when you shivered in the sun. I just wanted to be near you, but you were always with that pink-haired girl. So I thought it would be a good idea to just not say anything. When I met you at that party and that song was on by Jack's Mannequin . . . it all just felt so perfect. You were there and I was there, but then I passed out. Waking up on that strange couch was probably the best thing's that's ever happened to me, but when I gave you my number and you never called, I was afraid you weren't interested in a guy like me . . ."

Kuroko reached a hand out across the table and put it over Aomine's mouth. "You can shut up now." Aomine smiled under Kuroko's hand and then kissed his palm.

A week later found the couple walking down the street after Aomine's lifeguard shift at the pool. Momoi was with them, mostly because Kuroko kept telling Aomine that he couldn't just keep ignoring his friend. And though the couple was now holding hands, Momoi still wasn't treated as a third wheel. They all went and got noodles or burgers together after Aomen's shifts at the pool, and though Kuroko smelled like chlorine, that didn't stop Aomine from nuzzling his nose in Kuroko's fluffy blue hair or resting his head on top of Kuroko's as he hugged him from behind. Disgusted, but pleased, Momoi couldn't help but look affectionately at her friends. Whatever she had for Kuroko couldn't compare to what those two have together. But she wondered how long this happy phase could last. Kuroko really wasn't one to spend all of his time with other people, and that's what he'd been doing with Aomine. Sooner or later, she knew Kuroko was going to crack.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

(Text from Mid-August, several weeks after Kuroko and Aomine have started dating.)

**Kuroko:** I'm not going to the pool today.

**Aomine:** . . . Okay. Do you want to hang out after I'm done?

**Kuroko:** Not really.

**Aomine:** Is everything okay? Should I be worried?

**Kuroko:** No.

**Aomine:** . . . Okay. I'll text you later? After work?

**Kuroko:** Sure.

Aomine couldn't understand why Kuroko didn't want to go to the pool, but he had been doing a lot of swimming lately so he gave up trying to puzzle it out. Kuroko was free to do what he wanted, but he couldn't figure out what he'd done that made Kuroko not want to spend time with him after. _Maybe I should surprise him? I haven't done anything cute for Kuroko lately, so maybe I should go over to his apartment after my shift ends. Kuroko likes little surprises. What better surprise than me? . . . Better get some flowers or whatever to bring along just in case._ Aomine was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost failed to blow his whistle at a gaggle of children running alongside the slippery pool.

Kuroko lay face down in his bed, wearing nothing but boxers. It felt nice to simply do nothing but lay in the cool darkness with a blanket half-on half-off his body and his face turned sideways on a cold pillow. There was nothing but silence. _No chattering Momoi. No music. No screaming children from the pool. And no too warm Aomine always hovering over him like he was some kind of glass figuring balancing precariously on the edge of a teeter totter._ Kuroko snorted rudely at that thought. _As if I need him to be delicate with me. It's been almost a month and he is only just holding my hand. Yeah, I guess this first month is supposed to be about us asking each other stupid questions like "What's your favorite color," but I really just want him to stop doing that and push me up against a wall and—_

*knock knock knock knock knock*

_Why is it that whenever I start day dreaming about what a certain dark blue haired boyfriend could do to make me moan someone is always at the door?_ Sighing, Kuroko pushed himself up off his bed and didn't bother to put any clothes on as he went to answer the door. _Whomever it is can just deal with all this pale beauty in only a pair of boxers and socks. This is my apartment after all_ he grouchily thought to himself. Those knocks became more insistent and continuous. Just as Kuroko opened the door to find out who the hell it was that decided to pester him, he was ever so glad that he was about a head and a half or more shorter than Aomine because his fist would have met head on with his face. Getting over his shock, Kuroko looked up into the face of a sheepish Aomine who merely handed him a small bouquet of light and dark blue carnations and gerber daisies. "Surprise?" Aomine asked quietly.

We were boxing

We were boxing the stars

We were boxing (we were boxing)

You were swinging for Mars

And then the water reached the West Coast

And took the power lines (the power lines)

And it was me and you (this could last forever)

And the whole town under water

There was nothing we could do

It was dark blue

When Kuroko didn't say anything, he tried to ask if he could come in when Kuroko cut him off:

"What, in the name of all that is holy, are you doing here?" Aomine stood still and looked down at Kuroko like he'd grown a second head. "And what the fuck is with all of the light and dark blue pairings? Is it because of our hair and our eyes? Because I'm getting sick of it.—"

"But you said you liked it… and that your favorite color was blue," Aomine whispered as Kuroko kept ranting…

"And what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Excuse me?" Aomine was shocked that his quiet boyfriend could be so expressive and articulate.

"You heard me! What the fuck is wrong with you? You've spent the better part of a month asking me all these stupid questions and holding my hand and being a red-faced dork, and now I'm standing here, half-naked, and you still haven't kissed me. What. The. Fuck. Is. Wrong. With. You." Kuroko growled out as he reached up and pulled a stunned Aomine's face down to his level and roughly pushed their lips together.

Aomine let Kuroko control the way events were unraveling but only to a certain extent. At some point, their kiss turned impossibly sweet and gentle as their mouth moved together in an unhurried race to explore each other. Who knows whose tongue brushed over the others bottom lip first, eliciting a shiver and gasp that allowed the other entry. Moans were exchanged and swallowed by the other's partner. Their tongues moved against each other tentatively, increasing their arousal and need for the other, making the moment stretch time. And at some point, Aomine pushed back, very aware that they were in the doorway to Kuroko's apartment and that Kuroko was practically naked and pressed flush against his front. "Tetsu . . ." Kuroko only looked up at him with glazed eyes, and Aomine thought he looked so beautiful. Cupping his head between his hands, Kuroko tried to make him understand as he said, "Tetsu, we can't do this. Darling, you need to move into your apartment now."

At that Kuroko looked up into Aomine's face, and his eyes became lust-filled as he pulled Aomine into his apartment.

Dark blue (dark blue)

Have you ever been alone in a crowded room well I'm here with you

I said the world could be burning (burning) down

**So, thanks for reading, and more updates will come later. Reviews are more than welcome. **


	8. Chapter 8

**_Hey, Everyone! So, I know that I've made you wait long enough for this moment, but I wanted to get it just right before posting something like this. I feel compelled to mention again that this fanfic is rated M for a reason. If you don't really want to read anything like that then skip this chapter (and possibly the next one as well). Also, I don't own this anime, its characters, or anything like that, so all rights go to the writer of the anime. _**

**_Enjoy!_**

Chapter Eight:

_Well, this is awkward. _

Aomine had woken up in nothing by socks and with Kuroko cuddling into his chest. This was not the first time that he had woken up in Kuroko's apartment, but he was sure it was the first time that he had woken up in the nude without having had sex the night before.

He looked down at his much smaller boyfriend and pulled him closer. Kuroko only sighed and nuzzled his face into Aomine's chest. One of Aomine's large hands came to rest gently on Kuroko's back, moving in lazy circles as he dozed on and off.

_Why is the world suddenly a very dark brown? _

A groggy Kuroko was apparently not a very observant Kuroko. He woke up shortly after Aomine had placed his arm around Kuroko, and it had suddenly become about three times warmer than normal in Kuroko's bed. "Why is it so warm in here?" He mumbled this out loud right before he figured out that it was a giant Aomine who was sleeping next to him, and it was a giant Aomine that was rolling over on top of him in his sleep.

"Ger ooff meh," Kuroko yelled from under Aomine's body as he hit against Aomine's back. Startled out of his light sleep, Aomine pushed himself up by his forearms and half-launched himself from the bed. With his feet kind of flailing and blankets bunched up around his waist, Kuroko couldn't help but laugh as gravity took hold of Aomine and helped him slide slowly to the floor. Aomine looked up dazed from his position on the floor; he had never seen or heard Kuroko laugh like this before, and it was beautiful. Fighting the blankets, Aomine pushed himself off the floor and pulled himself onto the bed and into the waiting arms of Kuroko, who was sitting upright in the bed.

"Took you long enough," Kuroko whispered as Aomine brushed his lips against his lover's.

"Shut up and let me kiss you." Kuroko hummed in approval as Aomine set a lazy pace for their kissing, their lips connecting and taking the time to suck and nip at each other's mouth as heat and tension built between them. As they pulled each other closer, Kuroko opened his mouth to Aomine who moaned as he thrust his tongue into Kuroko's welcoming mouth. Their tongues danced together lazily as they stroked against each other, and soon enough the two were fighting for dominance over this kiss; Aomine wanting more and Kuroko content to stay at this relaxed pace.

Hands moved up and down eachother back, slid around each other's necks, and the pace remained lazy until Aomine threaded his hands into Kuroko's blue hair and tugged gently as he moaned into Kuroko's mouth. His non-syllabic begging tugging at something inside of Kuroko that wanted, needed, to be fulfilled. Groaning in response to Aomine's open desire, Kuroko surrendered any semblance of control over to Aomine, who readily assumed command and roughly pushed Kuroko backwards onto the bed. Similing up at Aomine, Kuroko wrapped his legs around Aomine's back and pulled him down to him. "Come make love to me, Aomine." Hunger flared in Aomine's eyes; Kuroko's request was more than he could have dreamed for.

Heat pooled low in their bellies, and Aomine roughly kissed Kuroko, their mouths pushing against each other rather than coming together in harmony. They were losing control, teeth pulling on lips, and Aomine wanted to place his lips on more than just Kuroko's mouth. He moved his kisses from Kuroko's mouth to just under his jawline and sucked and laved Kuroko's neck, leaving dark marks behind as he trailed down to Kuroko's collar bone. Kuroko moaned beneath Aomine's skilled mouth, clutching at his shoulders and rocking upward as the need to feel friction against his hard-on grew. "Hold still, Tetsu, or we won't last long, Darling." Kuroko only groaned in response when Aomine moved his mouth down to one pink nipple and licked it as Aomine's large hand moved up Kuroko's side to tweak the other, neglected, bud.

Arching upward as pleasure streaked through his body, Kuroko was begging for something he couldn't put a name to. Aomine continued to suckle and lav at Kuroko's nipples, nipping at them occasionally with his teeth, trying to pull as many of those adorable and arousing gasps and moans from Kuroko. He would never tire of hearing the way Kuroko moaned out his name and the way that Kuroko looked arching upward as his eyes, half-lidded, glazed over with lust beneath Aomine's skilled hands. Need drove Aomine steadily downward. The hard length rubbing against his thigh was increasingly distracting; he was not going to allow Kuroko to get off on humping his leg like a dog.

"Let me help you with that, Darling," Aomine whispered, looking up at Kuroko, who was panting and trying to tell Aomine that he didn't want Aomine to-… Too late!

Aomine wrapped one large hand firmly around Kuroko's cock and slowly moved up and down Kuroko's length as he left marks along Kuroko's inner thighs. All Kuroko could do was moan and grip the sheets as he fought to keep his eyes open, not wanting to miss any of this. Aomine smirked against his lover's skin as he felt Kuroko's hips start to buck upward in Aomine's hand, fighting for more friction when Aomine refused to change his pace. Aomine looked up at Kuroko shortly thereafter, met his eyes, and rubbed the pad of his thumb across the slit of Kuroko's cock.

"Mmnngg.. Aomine, pl-please," Kuroko didn't know what he was moaning for. And Aomine smiled kindly at Kuroko, "What do you want Kuroko?" he asked as he circled the head of Kuroko's cock with his thumb. "Nnng! I w-want… want you to.. nng!... I want your mouth on me… please! . . aah!..Mmmm" Breathy moans and whimpers were escaping Kuroko's lips as he made his request, and when he asked so nicely and politely, how could Aomine refuse his lover when he arched so perfectly under his hands?

Grinning, Aomine took Kuroko into his mouth slowly, and Kuroko moaned at the sudden heat surrounding his length. "Mmmm, yesss, Baby. Take it all in, please!" Aomine looked up into Kuroko's eyes, never breaking eye contact, as he rolled his tongue around the tip of Kuroko's cock and delved his tongue in the slit, tasting the tangy pre-cum. Shuddering, Kuroko threaded his hands in Aomine's head and tugged him further onto his cock, silently begging for more of his length to be in Aomine's sweet heat. And he obliged. Taking in all he could, Aomine stroked his tongue against the thick vein on the bottom of Kuroko's cock as he hollowed his cheeks and sucked his lover's cock. He didn't stop Kuroko from thrusting up into his mouth after he had moved one of his hands back up to Kuroko's chest to roll a sensitive, pink bud between his fingers. He relished the feel of Kuroko trying to dominate him, trying to take his pleasure instead of having it handed to him. He wanted Kuroko to feel good, and he loved the way it felt to bob up and down on Kuroko's throbbing cock as Kuroko moaned his encouragement, not bothering to keep his voice down. Aomine had never been so glad that Kuroko lived alone.

Sooner than he expected, Aomine felt Kuroko stiffen beneath him as he tugged harder on Aomine's hair. There was no other warning before Kuroko cried out and thrust into the back of Aomine's throat while spilling his cum. Aomine swallowed it all and continued to suck Kuroko's cock through the process, prolonging his orgasm. Kuroko only lay back with closed eyes, panting as Aomine looked up in wonder at his lover. He couldn't believe how responsive Kuroko was.

"That was amazing."

Aomine only smiled at the praise. However happy he was that Kuroko was able to get off on what just happened, he was still in need of some relief.

**Well, that was interesting, wasn't it? **

**So, reviews are appreciated. Pointing out any errors etc. is appreciated (just private message me them and I shall endeavor to fix them). I'm really really really sorry if this was at all awkwardly written. **

**Hopefully I'll see you all next chapter. Laters, Friends. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko No Basket, its characters, etc. I don't own the song 'Everthing' by Michael Buble. **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter Nine:

Kuroko reached for Aomine, and he crawled up the bed until he was able to wrap his body around Kuroko's so that they were spooning. Despite his hard-on, Aomine was content to just let Kuroko cuddle into his chest as he fell asleep. There wasn't any rush.

It was cold. The bed was empty where Aomine had been. Kuroko was confused when he woke because he knew that he had fallen asleep with Aomine. Not bothering to with anything than Aomine's shirt (which covered him down to mid-thigh), Kuroko walked out of the bedroom, rubbing his eyes and searching for his lover.

_Not in the bedroom. Not in the bathroom. Not in the spare bedroom. _Kuroko was walking down the hallway toward the living room when he heard voices. . . _Is Aomine singing? . . . With Michael Buble?_

"_You're a falling star, you're the get away car. You're the line in the sand when I go too far. You're the swimming pool, on an August day. And you're the perfect thing to say."_ Aomine was singing into a spatula when he wasn't using it to flip pancakes or turn over bacon and eggs. Yes, Aomine was dancing around in the kitchen while cooking and singing to Buble's "Everything."

"_And you play it coy but it's kinda cute. Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do. Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true. 'cause you can see it when I look at you." _Singing his heart out, Aomine was remembering how Kuroko had driven him crazy in those weeks when he hadn't known how he felt about Aomine. _It really was kinda cute_… "_And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times. It's you, it's you, you make me sing. You're every line, you're every word, you're everything."_ . . . _Is it too early to be feeling this way let alone sing this out loud? _He continued to sway back and forth, flipping pancakes onto a platter as Kuroko stood leaning against the door frame watching Aomine with a smile on his face.

"_You're a carousel, you're a wishing well, And you light me up, when you ring my bell. You're a mystery, you're from outer space, You're every minute of my everyday." _Aomine remained blissfully unaware of Kuroko's presence, and for the first time ever Kuroko was happy that he could sneak up on people without being caught. It had allowed him to watch this: Aomine swaying in nothing but a pair of baggy sweats while he sang about how he felt about Kuroko. Nothing could have made Kuroko happier. But he wasn't counting on Aomine suddenly twirling on his way to the fridge and catching sight of Kuroko watching him. Startled for a second, Aomine would have stopped singing if not for the look of content and adoration on Kuroko's face. Instead, he felt bold. And he walked over to Kuroko quickly, pulled him into his arms, and sang to him as they danced through the kitchen. "_And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man, And I get to kiss you baby just because I can. Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through, And you know that's what our love can do."_ It was amazing just how well Aomine could multi-task, flipping pancakes and dancing with Kuroko without missing a beat.

"_So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la"_ Kuroko giggled as Aomine crooned in his ear, his breath tickled against his ear. _"And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times It's you, it's you, you make me sing. You're every line, you're every word, you're everything. You're every song, and I sing along. 'Cause you're my , yeah" _Aomine kept singing, and when breakfast was ready in the middle of this last chorus he switched of the appliances while clutching Kuroko to him. Even when the doorbell rang he danced with Kuroko to the door, spinning his giggling boyfriend outward to the door so he could open it.

Michael Buble finished the song solo as Aomine chocked on the next notes and Kuroko's face smoothed over into impassivity. _Who is this person, and why the fuck is Aomine acting like his past is here to demand retribution?_

"_So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la"_

**Ugh! I know this one is a short one but please bear with me as I am just trying to give you something while I figure out this transition. Everything was going so smoothly for our young couple. So, who do you think it's gonna be?! :)**

**Anyway, reviews are fabulous; I love hearing from you all. Thanks for the input and for reading! **

**Laters, Friends :P**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Well, well, Aomine. I didn't expect you to do so well for yourself so soon," a voice purred from the hallway. "May I come in?"

"No."

"Yes."

Both the boys had answered at the same time, and it caused some confusion and discomfort to flash between the two as they looked at each other to figure out exactly what to do. Kuroko didn't want Aomine to hurt, but he did want to know who this guy was and what he was doing here. Aomine simply didn't want Kuroko to know about this portion of his past this soon. Preferably not at all.

"While you two are figuring out exactly what to do, why don't we just assume you invited me graciously into your home," the figure said as she brushed past Kuroko. _What the fuck is she doing here_ Aomine thought as he glared at her figure moving through Kuroko's apartment.

Kuroko only watched her with that same expressionless face. He was more curious than anything to find out who exactly this young woman was to Aomine. After all, he knew nothing about Aomine's past romantic life, which meant this might just be a puzzle piece to Aomine's character. "Was I interrupting anything, Daiki? Because it looks like you have a lot to Explain to your boytoy here 'cause he looks like he has no clue who I am, does he?" _Whomever she is, she's actually kinda rude. And who the fuck is she calling a boytoy?_ Kuroko was frowning at that; no one had ever called him a boytoy that before. _Whatever the fuck that is. _

"Well, you were never that important to me then, so why would I bring you up in conversation with someone I actually care about when there are more interesting things to discuss than you, like, perhaps, …. I don't know? Whether or not socioeconomics actually plays a role in the way that novelists decide their writing material." Kuroko blinked while Aomine spoke. There was so much animosity in his voice, like he actually wished this person would boil in a vat of acid or get hit by the nearest Mac Truck. … And did Aomine actually find that topic of conversation interesting? Because there was no way in hell that Aomine was ever going to get him to discuss that.

"I didn't know you could read, Daiki," the woman smiled at him condescendingly.

"Quit calling me that!"

"Calling you what? Daiki? But you asked me to call you that." She continued to smile at him; the more frustrated he got the wider her smile became.

Before Aomine could make a retort, Kuroko turned to the woman, "Who are you, and why are you in my apartment?"

"I'm here to see my Daiki, and I think I'll let him explain to you who I am." She folded her arms across her endowed chest and crossed one long leg over her knee; the picture of photo-shopped womanhood sitting right there in the gayest living room on the block. It almost made Kuroko laugh. He had never had anyone who any straight guy would consider attractive sit in his living room . . . Well, that's if you don't include Momoi.

"She's one of my friend's exes. He set me up with her so that we could go on double dates. Unfortunately. This… person didn't seem to get that my friend wanted nothing to do with her anymore, but she has a habit of not being able to move on. She used me for months to keep tabs on my friend and fuck up with relationship with another person and the person after that. Is that what you're here for? To fuck up my relationship with Kuroko, too?" Aomine's attitude was getting worse the longer he kept talking. Kuroko didn't know who this woman was since Aomine obviously didn't want to say her name, but whomever she was she needed to get out of this apartment right now.

"Aww, come on, Daiki. I wasn't that bad." She got up off the coach and walked slowly over to Aomine. Reaching her hand out to place it on his chest she purred, "If I recall, you and I had some fun together." Before she could actually put her hands on Aomine, Kuroko stepped quickly between the two, shocking her. "Don't you touch, My Aomine. And you get out of my apartment now." She spluttered for a response while looking between the two. Kuroko and Aomine were in sync, glaring at the offending woman's presence. Gritting her teeth, she turned on her heel and started to walk out of the apartment. But before she left…

"By the way, Daiki, I just wanted to let you know I'd be in town for a couple of days or so. I'm not sure. It all depends on how I'm feeling about this… situation we're in. Have a nice day you two." She smiled at them as she shut the door behind her.

Just as Aomine had let out his breath in relief Kuroko turned to him.

"You have some explaining to do."

**Author's Note: Sorry, not sorry (?) for the cliff hanger. Have fun?**

**Reviews are appreciated, so please take the time to drop me a message; constructive criticism, fan mail, etc. No hate mail though. . . Yeah, definitely not hate mail. lol Thanks for everything! :)**

**Laters, Friends :P**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So I wasn't planning on an OC, but it happened. Sorry?**

Chapter Eleven:

Aomine was beyond nervous. He had not expected that he would need to explain her, nor had he expected her to re-enter his life. _Think quickly, Aomine! Think quickly!_ A thin sheen of sweat was glistening on his forehead under the fluorescent lamplight, and Aomine didn't know what to do. Their breakfast of pancakes and sausage was undoubtedly cold by now; what a waste. Kuroko simply stood there, hands folded across his chest, patiently and stoically waiting for Aomine's explanation. And all Aomine could do was try to decide if he was going to tell the truth or try to get out of it for at least a couple of hours.

". . . Do you wanna eat breakfast now?"

". . . No."

" . . . Do you wanna watch a movie?"

"No."

Aomine was getting nervous; Kuroko's foot was beginning to tap his foot impatiently. It didn't look like there was any way that Aomine was going to be able to distract Kuroko from the events that had happened. " . . . Do you wanna—"

"No!" Kuroko shouted, his eyes flaring in a flash of frustration, "How many times are you going to ignore the problem before you realize you can't 'pretend' it away?" He was exasperated. Aomine couldn't run from this, and he wasn't going to let him imagine that there wasn't a problem when one clearly existed, even if he didn't know that it had existed before 40 minutes ago. He was irritated that some . . . woman had come in and brutally kicked them out of their little corner of bliss. All he wanted was for the last half hour or so to have never happened; he wanted Aomine to take him in his arm again and dance with him as he smiled that care-free smile. To be clear, he wasn't mad at Aomine, he was mad at that woman.

Aomine could only look at Kuroko dejectedly. "Her name is Akahime," he began slowly, carefully, not wanting Kuroko to miss anything that would make him have to repeat this story, "A couple of years ago she dated Kise, a good friend of mine and fellow life guard. You would have seen him; he's got bright blond hair, killer looks, all the ladies fawn all over him. Anyway, Akahime arrived at the pool one day—all long legs, frilly one piece with a giant red bow over her bust, and those stupidly huge brown eyes faking innocence. Kise fell hard. He had never fallen for any of the girls before, but for some reason she was the one he wanted." Aomine's face was screwed up in concentration as he tried to remember everything correctly. He didn't want to accidentally lie to Kuroko about past events.

"It's not like she wasn't nice. Akahime came to the pool every day and was polite to everyone, laughing and smiling like there were no cares in the world. She would lay back in the shallows and Kise would go over on his breaks to spend time with her; they would just sit there talking. I had never seen Kise so happy.

They dated for a couple of happy weeks, but something happened. Akahime became jealous really quick. So did Kise. Both of them were probably the prettiest people to ever come to the pool—present company aside of course—and they both had gaggles of boys and girls hanging around them at the pool, flirting and vying for their attention. It was just a lot of bad communication between the two, and it ended nastily." As Aomine continued talking, Kuroko listened intently and sadly. Aomine looked awful as he leaned against Kuroko's sofa, staring down at his feet as if they were the most fascinating things in the world. He refused to look up; he was afraid that once thing got turned bad in this story that Kuroko would walk out that door and never look back.

"They broke it off in the parking lot one night, and the fight was explosive. Some things were said about loyalty and cheating and the like. I took Kise home with me, and he was so messed up he didn't go to work after that night for, like, four days? I think. It was just a long time. What happened after that last day Kise was gone is something I'm not proud of: Akahime was so sad and lonely that she came up to me after work and asked if she could go over to my place. She told me that Kise had texted her asking to meet her there, and I thought nothing of it. Neutral territory, a mutual friend's place with said mutual friend there to mediate, it seemed like as good a place as any to meet up and for them to discuss what really had happened." Aomine trudged on through his monologue, hoping Kuroko would understand how upset he was about what happened.

"I think I made it into the apartment a couple of feet before she grabbed my arm and pulled me in for a kiss. I won't lie; I enjoyed it. A hot girl threw herself at me, and I didn't think about my best friend. I was an idiot, and I let her push me on that coach and straddle me. And he found us . . . and it was just really bad. Kise was unlucky enough to find us in the worst way."

Kuroko was startled. This was an unexpected turn of events, and he felt like he was missing something. Aomine looked up to catch the flash of confusion, and he smiled sadly and attempted to explain: "Akahime had texted Kise before coming over, telling him to meet her at my place. She wanted him to see her fucking me. She wanted him to feel like shit and feel torn apart, and I helped her." Pausing, Aomine listened carefully for quiet footsteps leaving the room and for the slamming of a door. Looking up, he saw Kuroko staring at him, waiting for the end of the story.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Aomine was able to tell him the bittersweet ending: "Kise pulled her off my dick and punched me out cold. When I woke up, Kise and Akahime were gone. When Kise got over what happened after a month or so of pleading, explaining, and bribing in order to make him believe that our friendship meant more to me than that, he told me that Akahime ran after him, leaving me unconscious, to blame me for what transpired that night."

"So that's it," Kuroko asked, not believing that this could be the ending. Shaking his head, Aomine replied that, "It's not the end, but I would like a glass of water. Talking that much has made my throat raw." Kuroko left to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen and then waited patiently upon his return for Aomine to drink enough water so that he may finish the sordid tale.

"I got text messages from her that whole month that blamed me for Kise's not wanting to get back together with her. She blamed me for her spiteful actions. Told me that I was no good and that Kise was never going to forgive me for what I did with her that night. Basically, she made me believe Kise and I could never be friends again. It was the worst summer of my life. And I don't really know why Kise finally let me explain everything or what made him realize I was telling the truth, but I'm grateful that he listened to me.

So now you know everything."

Kuroko paused for a long time, and the two stared at each other as Kuroko thought. Aomine began to sweat as Kuroko opened his mouth to ask a question. "So… what are you then?"

And the question made Aomine's face screw up with suppressed laughter that he was unable to contain for long. "After all of that," Aomine choked out through his spluttering, "all you took away was that I'm not exactly a definite gay or definite straight man?" Aomine let loose his laughter completely then, much to Kuroko's embarrassment. "You don't have to laugh at me, Aomine-kun; it's not polite." Kuroko started to speed past Aomine to get to his bedroom so he could pout in peace, but Aomine caught him and spun him into his arms.

"Kuroko," he whispered, one hand stroking his hair and the other his lower back, "I'm bi. What happened with Akahime was a one-time thing, and I'm not going anywhere." Kuroko pulled his face out of Aomine's chest and blushed at the happiness in his eyes as he looked at Kuroko.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

And they kissed; lips and tongues tangling together as Aomine leaned against the coach, holding Kuroko to him tightly, not wanting to ever let go.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Note: I realize that some of you have been waiting for what probably feels like forever. I don't apologize for the wait. Finals have been over for a while, and I don't have an excuse except that I've got two jobs and am having a rough time right now. So be nice, please, and enjoy the chapter. I'll try to start working on the next installment really soon because you all have waited long enough, and I know the wait can be frustrating. **

Chapter Twelve:

They say that what can make sex great is the anticipation. All the angst, anticipation, and wanting mixing chaotically inside of a single person until a spark ignites it and the combustion burns beautifully- a multicolored fire or the sea during a great storm. But Kuroko was beyond waiting. Sure the months were flying by and they were still a new couple but the chemistry was magnetic; the two were inseparable. Aomine would inform Kuroko of his work schedule and he would then attend the pool at those times religiously. Every one of the lifeguards knew him by name now, and he'd finally met Kise and become good friends with him as well. Momoi, Kuroko's closest friend, no longer pestered him, dragged him to lame parties, or tried to get him to do a lot of things wither her. Her refusal to interrupt Kuroko's time with Aomine was admirable to Kuroko because she was respecting their space.

However, sometimes the boundaries needed to be pushed concerning space. Aomine's space to be specific.

_The guy's being too . . . nice?_ was all Kuroko could think. It didn't matter how far gone either of them were. They could be engrossed in a 'hot 'n heavy' make-out session or simply cuddling sweetly while watching foreign films and Aomine would pull back, setting boundaries that had no apparent causation to Kuroko. His confusion was causing a considerable amount of frustration, leading to several uncommon bursts of anger . . .

~oOo~

"What's wrong, Kuroko?" Aomine was beginning to worry. His boyfriend never acted frustrated or lashed out in anger. _Could I have possibly done something wrong?_ Kuroko had just stared at Aomine in shock and frustration as Aomine pulled back from him, pushing the hands that roaming across his tanned chest out of reach by grabbing each thin wrist and them above Kuroko's head. He had tried to make it cute, waving their arms to the music that was playing on the loud speakers at the pool.

It was after hours, they were still on the premises with other lifeguards who were flirting and dancing and getting drunk near the water, but they weren't the only ones in the water. Kuroko had complained of being overheated while dancing, and wading into the shallows had seemed like a good idea. But when Aomine went to kiss him, Kuroko had pushed him against the ledge of the pool and turned the sweet, concerned show of affection into something hotter, rougher. At some point Aomine had set Kuroko on the ledge to make it easier to bend down and reach his mouth. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that neither of them had wanted to stop. The kiss, a mixture of teasing tongues and touches while they pressed their bodies together in what was once cool water, was lasting their eternity but only a fraction of a second at the same time. There would never be enough for either of them, and they couldn't breathe. They didn't want to breathe if it would mean letting go of this feeling.

And then Aomine had pushed Kuroko away. No explanation given; no justification. He just left Kuroko hot and needy there in the shallows with two feet or so between them and Kuroko's hands waving above his head for some reason only Aomine could give. It was like the music in the loud speakers was cut, short circuited by the sparks of anger in Kuroko's eyes.

"Nothing's wrong, Aomine. Why would anything be wrong?" Kuroko asked with his head slightly cocked to the side and his eyes popped a little to give the appearance of innocence in an efforts to contain his anger.

"Well, you're not saying anything, and I thought, maybe, you would wanna go dance now?" Aomine brushed off Kuroko's remark like it was nothing. (Because how was he supposed to know if Kuroko's angry if Kuroko never says he's angry?) Before Aomine even made the choice to let go of Kuroko's wrists, his love had somehow removed his person from Aomine's grasp, gotten out of the shallows, and was moving to dry off. Kuroko's uncanny ability to 'disappear' shouldn't have worked if Aomine was solely focused on him, but there Kuroko was drying off with his towel and packing his belongings into his pool bag, readying to leave.

And Aomine was scrambling to get out of the shallows, trying to catch Kuroko before he left Aomine behind approximately knee deep in water that was suddenly freezing.

_I can't let Kuroko walk out of here alone. I can't let Kuroko walk out of here alone. I can't let Kuroko walk out of here alone . . ._

Kuroko simply slipped on his sandals, waved goodbye to a puzzled Kise, and headed for the exit as fast as he could move. _Don't look back at Aomine. Don't look back at Aomine. Don't look back at Aomine . . . _And he stopped to look back after he got out of the building and found himself face to face with a solid, tan, wall of abs and solid chest. Kuroko had forgotten how much taller Aomine was than him, which was really infuriating.

_I knew I shouldn't have looked back_.

Aomine just grabbed on to Kuroko's shoulders to prevent his turning around and stomping off again. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong, and Aomine didn't know what it was. He needed to figure this out.

"Kuroko, babe, what. Is. Wrong?" Aomine was done playing around, but he needed to try and stay calm because Kuroko was obviously not going to be able to.

"Nothing!"

"Obviously something is!"

"Why can't you just let go? You don't want to touch me or be with me at specific times and are fine with pushing me away, but if I do it to you it's wrong? Go back to your lifeguard friends and dance with them if you want, but I refuse to dance with you and grind up against you like you'll want me to when I can't even touch and kiss you without being pushed off you. So excuse me, but I'm going home."

Kuroko was furious. He was sick of being held and pushed away, kissed and forced back, loved and then tossed backward five steps when it was convenient for Aomine. He didn't care if he was being harsh or mean. He was tired of feeling like a toy, a plaything that could be put on a shelf when the owner chose. So he yanked his shoulders out of Aomine's grip and walked off without him.

Aomine was shocked. He didn't think that this was a big deal. Was he really pushing Kuroko away? It's not that he didn't want Kuroko. How could he not want his hot, usually shy, boyfriend? All he could feel was confusion and hurt as he watched Kuroko walk away. His first instinct was to run after him, turn him around, and give him what it was he was naively asking for, but something told Aomine that this would only ruin what they had together. So he watched Kuroko walk away, hoping Kuroko would again look back.

_You're going to be strong and not look back. You're not going to be drawn to his light; you're going to resist playing the good little shadow. You're going to be strong and not look back. You're going to resist the temptation to see if he's as hurt as you feel. You're going to resist looking to see if he feels as awful on the outside as you feel on the inside. You're going to be strong and not look back . . . _

But he did peek back. Just once. And that look on his face—blue eyes wide and shocked looking with eyebrows raised as tears fell, a slight forced smile on his face, and every muscle defying the urge to acknowledge a break down—nearly broke him. But Kuroko kept walking. He would not be the one waiting, hand in the air, and feeling nothing but air when there should be another hand; he would not wait for something that would never happen.

**Author Note: So, don't hate me. Just breathe. Stay calm. And wait patiently for the next chapter. (It's called angst for a reason). Though I will admit that I'm stalling with this story for specific reasons . . . I hope you all at least enjoyed it? Message me your comments, good vibes, happiness, general news about the chapter, etc. Laters, Friends ;P**


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